Storage Mechanisms in Recall

This chapter discusses the storage mechanisms in recall and the results on short-term memory are interpreted differently in light of the STS-LTS distinction.

Abstract

This chapter discusses the storage mechanisms in recall. Information on the recall of words has been organized according to several theoretical views. In the case of free recall, the first reason for assuming such a flow and two separate storage mechanisms may be found in a very prominent and reliable characteristic of free recall–the serial position function. In the free recall of lists, Ss are more likely to recall the early and late items than the middle items. There are, moreover, a variety of systematic experimental effects that can be worked on this curve. In most cases, the curve is raised or lowered in all positions except the last few. The effects of similarity on LTS and STS are not established. Most of the work cited on this effect does not differentiate LTS and STS effects. The few studies that do permit the differentiation give conflicting results. Many of the results on short-term memory are interpreted differently in light of the STS-LTS distinction.